1. Fostering National Multi-stakeholder
Structures For Developing Viable
Caribbean Internet Economies
Shiva Bissessar, BSc (Hons), MBA, MSc
Managing & Technical Director
shiva@pinaka.co.tt
@PinakaTT
www.pinaka.co.tt

2. Brief History
• Career spanning almost 20 years. 13 years at major
telecommunication services provider, primarily working in ICT
roles with security focus
• Last 5 years spent working on large commercial projects
• In 2013, attained M.Sc. Information Security from University
College London (UCL), UK.
• M.Sc. thesis was on transaction analysis of Bitcoin block-chain
• Then formed Pinaka Technology Solutions to assist organization
with their strategic ICT and Information Security needs.
• Developed and lectures full credit Master level course at Lok Jack
GSB (UWI), Information Systems Security Ethics & Law

3. • April 2014: Presentation at SSIG
2014
Active In Digital Economy
• Aug 2014: Article based on
comments from 10th Caribbean IGF
• Mar 2015: Completed UN ECLAC
Study/Report

4. Presentations at International Fora
3rd Mar 2015

5. • What is a multi stakeholder structure?
• Are we missing opportunities for multi stakeholder
contributions towards Internet Economy development?
• Cyber Secuirty
• Rural Broadband
• eTransactions
• Mobile Money
• How differing views changes things
• Internet Economy: Mechanisms for Transfer
• Internet affects transactions
• Caribbean Remittances
• Mobile Money
• Innovation or Divergence
• UN ECLAC Digital Currency Study– Money
• Internet Economy: What Are Others Doing?
• UK Digital Economy Strategy
• Recommendations
Agenda

6. Selby - We welcome ALL views
Nigel - CIGF has been building regional but need to
be building national participation as well
Shernon - We talk too much and nothing happens
Patrick – Collaborative environment required
Some Earlier Comments

7. MULTISTAKEHOLDER
& INTERNET
ECONOMY

8. • Private Sector
• Academia
• Civil Society
• Technical Community
• Government
• Equal Footing (?)
• But we have inclusive fora…‘talkshops’(?)

9. Wasted Opportunities For Multi-
stakeholder Involvement In
Internet Economy Development?

10. Example 1: Cyber Security
• Compare & contrast the approaches being taken by Dominica
vs. Trinidad & Tobago
http://technewstt.com/ttcybercrime/

11. Example 2: Rural Broadband
• Universal Service Fund established via May 2015 regulations
• Fund accessible to existing providers ONLY
• How is this encouraging ICT innovation, entrepreneurship, SME
growth or competitiveness in the telecommunications sector?

12. Example 3: NTAC - eTransactions
Source: Trinidad & Tobago Newsday

13. How differing views changes things
Commonwealth Cybercrime Initiative
document as shown at ICANN 52, Feb’15
• “a new and pressing threat to the
successful combatting of crime”
• “consider the development of a
Commonwealth strategy and resources
to tackle the rise of virtual and non-fiat
currencies”
Commonwealth Virtual Currencies Working Group Meeting , UK , Aug’15
• “Virtual currencies have a potential to benefit Member States and to drive
development”
• “The use of virtual currencies has benefits and risks”

14. Internet Economy:
Mechanisms For Transfer

15. http://www.worldbank.org/content/dam/Worldbank/Publications/WDR/WDR%202016/WDR
2016_overview_presentation.pdf

16. Caribbean Remittances
• In Haiti, Jamaica and Dominican Republic, total remittances values at
27.8%, 17.2% and 14.1% of GDP respectively, while in Trinidad and
Tobago it forms less than 1 %.
Source: UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECALC) Opportunities & Risks Associated With The Advent Of Digital Currency In The Caribbean

17. Number of mobile money
accounts worldwide:
203 MILLION & COUNTING
(June 2013)
http://www.worldbank.org/content/dam/Worldbank/Publications/WDR/WDR%202016/WDR
2016_overview_presentation.pdf
www.pinaka.co.tt

18. http://www.worldbank.org/content/dam/Worldbank/Publications/WDR/WDR%202016/WDR
2016_overview_presentation.pdf

19. Mobile Money as continuum of
services…doesn’t just solve geographic
distance, banking infrastructure problems
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTINFORMATIONANDCOMMUNICATIONANDTECHNOLOGIES/Resources/IC4D-2012-Chapter-4.pdf

20. Internet Economy:
What Are Others Doing?

21. Digital Economy Timeline
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/404743/Digital_Economy_Strategy_2015-18_Web_Final2.pdf

22. Encouraging digital innovators
Understand and support digital innovators whatever the business circumstances
that surround them, helping them to develop confidence and connect to their
customers.
Focus on the user
Champion approaches to digital innovation that centre on the needs of users, to
ensure that solutions are well fitted to the markets they address.
Equipping the digital innovator
Equip individual innovators with the technical and business expertise that they
need, and drive the development of new capability where it is needed.
Growing infrastructure, platforms and ecosystems
Work across industries to develop and consolidate the foundations of the digital
economy, so that innovators can enter the market with confidence.
Ensuring sustainability (Digital is not just technology)
Work across boundaries to link technical capabilities with an understanding of
social impact and the commercial, legal and regulatory context of innovation.
UK Digital Economy Strategy 2015 - 2018
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/404743/Digital_Economy_Strategy_2015-18_Web_Final2.pdf

23. Any National Multi-Stakeholder
Initiative is Based on People:
How Do We Develop/Utilize Our
People to serve in these
capacities?

24. Recommendations
• Don’t reinvent the wheel: Use ICANN or TTNIC models
• Real Capacity Building Efforts
• Inclusive events which allows for participation of small(er)
SMEs and Academia
• “Identify Local Champions” (Shernon)
• “You must have something to present”
• Research: Which organisations offers opportunities here?
• Moving beyond financial support for participation to
opportunities e.g. regional studies
• Representation on projects NOT just attending meetings :
• Regional Cyber Security Assessments via OAS or CTU
• Commonwealth Virtual Currency Roundtable
• ITU Focus Group Digital Financial Services
• Cloud Security/Privacy (?)
• Become supportive of local innovation